Feed Sift (06/07/2019)

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ARCHITECTURALDIGEST.COM -- 12 Times When Architects Defied Gravity with Incredible Cantilevers

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ENGADGET.COM -- Google shows how it could make a cloud-savvy game controller

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CSSFX.DEV -- Beautifully simple click-to-copy CSS effects

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CNN.COM -- DMC DeLorean: The troubled past of the car that went back to the future

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SETHS.BLOG -- Roads or Buildings?

15. Transportation #JanBlogaDay

When I was still being formed in my mother's womb, my parents owned a tiny little Fiat.  I can't picture it.  I think it got broadsided by a pickup, but because it was raining and because the car was so light, the car just slid away.  I'm led to believe that if it hadn't been raining or it had been a larger car that held its ground there's a good chance I wouldn't be here today.

The first car I remember is a large green Dodge that would have made Al Bundy proud.  I remember when we came back from Longview in May 1980, piles of ash would collect under it every time we washed it.

Guess that's why in 1981 we replaced it with a Chevy Malibu.  I still remember standing in the garage and just feeling kind of giddy when they'd start it up.  It just had such a power and exciting roar to it.  We had that car for a *long* time as that was also the car I learned to drive in.  KKZ 912.

In 1984, the Buick Skylark joined the stable.  I don't know what it replaced, I have a mental block, I can't even remember what was in the other side of the garage next to the Malibu.  The pool table?  Did we even have two cars?  EZX 094.  Why do I remember these????!?!?

The Sift 296-300

The Sift 296: Amazon

• Amazon lockers come to NYC, no more getting caught by UPS in your PJs
• Amazon Lets You Manage Your Print Magazine Subscriptions
• Kindle Touch Disables 3G Web Browsing
• Californians Get Another Year of Tax-Free Purchases from Amazon
• Ad-supported Kindle 4 has built-in $30 "upgrade", gets rid of embedded special offers

Read more...

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The Sift 297: Cars

• DeLorean DMC-12 EV announced for 2013 production, Doc Brown's whip gets real... electric
• Waze 3.0 brings foursquare searching
• Peugeot’s Future Car is Called "World’s First Diesel Hybrid"
• U.S. Army Could Replace the Humvee with the Diesel Hybrid L-ATV
• Consider an Auto Auction for a Great Deal on a Used Car

Compromise

Children are smarter than adults.
How many children do you know with a full-time job and children?

Rachel wants to own as many dogs as they had in Hotel for Dogs.  And she wants to own a hotel for dogs and their owners.  And she's requested that we move to Canada so that we'll be closer to the Royal British Columbia Museum so we can go there all the time.

And that was just today's list.

I listen to her plans, her dreams and part of me cynically says "Good luck with that, kid."  And a small voice in my head says "Talk about all the dog food.  And the dog poop!"   Sometimes we will talk through an idea with her, but never in a way to shoot down her dream.  Almost always, instead of saying something cynical, I either sit in silence, envious of her plans, or I ask her to explain them to me in more detail, because sometimes they are just fascinating.  (Most of them aren't based on movies she's seen.)

How does she do it?  At age five, logic has not fulled forms, she has no concept of the cost of things, and most importantly, compromise is a word she hardly understands at all.  To be sure, there are times when she doesn't get her way, but in terms of the big dreams, the big future, everything is possible.  The sky is the limit, and if she can dream it, someday it will happen.  In her world, tomorrow might be her birthday.  Even when shown the calendar, it still might be tomorrow.  "You never know," she says cheerfully, rearranging her stuffed animals.  Nevermind that she's sitting on the brand new bunk beds she actually helped assemble.  Tomorrow could be magical, fun, be filled with relatives and brand new toys.  You never know.

And yet, as adults, we know.  I'll never travel in space, never become an architect, probably not even design and build my own home.  I'll probably never start my own business, become incredibly wealthy through wise stock purchases or even own a Delorean.  I won't adopt an infant of another race each time a child of my own is born.  I probably won't ever be a regular at an Irish put in Ireland in my old age.  Tomorrow will not be a birthday.  (Or, as I always hoped in high school, a military helicopter carrying an exotic sports car wasn't about to be dropped in front of me as I was summoned to some important mission.  Shut up, this was pre-Cody Banks.)

As we grow older, the choices we make have create a more narrow set of choices for our future.  I don't mean to be pessimistic, or even discount that some of my future choices may be limited by my own fear (like starting my own business).  And in some cases, I have willingly embraced limitations in search of a greater good, like being led here to Washington where we're able to live in one income without giving up too much, but without living at the same level we had allowed ourselves to be accustomed to.  But I'm just saying that's what separates us from our youth.  And it's not like we can explain that to them, in the hopes of helping them when it comes time to make defining choices because it would be illogical to them, or it would unfairly yank them to the other side of the fence.

I'm still hoping for the Delorean.  But even then, I'd compromise with a Tesla or a Fisker.

Recent Dreams

At the end of Back to the Future, there's this scene where the camera is low on the driveway and the Delorean pulls in.  In my Dream, however, it was a black car in the theme of KITT from Knight Rider, only updated to look relevant today.  (And no, I don't mean a Ford Mustang because from the back, those cars do actually look like a mustang - of the horse variety.)  Anyhow, this guy gets out and he looks really uncomfortable.  He's wearing jeans and a black leather jacket and his hair's been styled to look like David Hasselhoff's when he was playing the Michael Knight character (though, really, doesn't his hair always look like this?).

The car looked pretty cool.  It had the requisite heartbeat pulse in front, but some things about it, I would later discover, were just plain odd.  For instance, as if they had run out of time or something, the wheel rim designs, appropriately techy, were printed out on paper, glued to formcore and then taped to the actual rims.  And on the back was a 10x14" advertisement for a doctor's office, again, mounted to formcore and then mounted to the trunk.

The guy came to the door, I let him in, but he wasn't being all that clear as he walked around my house.  It seemed to me that he was intimating that the car was mine, but I wasn't sure if I had won it in some contest, or if he was going to suddenly ask me for a check for a couple thousand for delivery charges, or what. 

Anyhow, the house was really cool.  It was a ranch style, halls with low ceilings, leading into rooms with taller angled ceilings.   I don't remember specifically looking for skylights, but the entire house had lots of ambient light, very open and airy.  I mention this to say that I think I miss California.  It's winter here in Washington and it's a bit dark at the moment, even though now I am actually able to drive to and from work in daylight.

Anyhow, we ended up taking a test drive and then I woke before finding out if the car was really mine or not. 

But I did spend the day thinking about things... like the fact that the only color of car I'll consider buying is black and that when I bought my last car, most cars were boulbous and amorphous with no real style or shape, they were all blob-like bulbs, I felt like the Dodge Intrepid was the only car that still had some style, some lines to it.  (Well, that I could afford.  Ten years later, this still seems to be my price range, even though my tastes have grown up by about $10k.  Turns out I don't get the next new car but instead my wife's hand-me-down, but that's another story.)  Anyhow, was/is the Dodge Intrepid my Knight Rider car?

Thinking about cars made me think of the fantasy I always had in Jr. High and High School.  Sometimes, still on the bus on the way to school, I would daydream of being called away from school to do something important.  Before I was driving age, it would be a beautiful older girl in a convertible that would pull up alongside the bus, or right up onto the sidewalk of the school and call out to me to urgently get in and we'd race off to some crisis, leaving all those other kids behind at the loser school to waste the day.  Often, the girl would be wearing yellow.  (A 'Curious George' thing?)

Anyhow, as I got older, sometimes there would be multiple cars, one for her and one for me, dropped off by car carrier, or lowered to the ground on platforms suspended by chains under military helicopters -- she, sometimes, standing at the edge of one of the platforms holding on to the chain, being lowered with the car. (Daring.)

But cars have always fascinated me and my dreams often focus around them.

One dream that did not was one I had the other night where I was pretty sure I had killed someone.  That one, will have to wait because I need to go get ready for work.

Two Thousand Seven (Part 2 of 3)

Part II – A Look Back

I am a little disappointed in my blog posts this year... some months it was difficult to find something actually worth quoting.

January 2007

Thanks to Allison's suggestion, all of us went to the Olympic Sculpture Garden yesterday with Steve and Liz. It was really a beautiful day, the kind of blue you look at later in photos and think "Wow." I mean, we were there, but to see it in still life is still pretty amazing.

Also in January... Tiny computers ... Spider Boat ... Portland Snow Crash Video ... Chopper Pilot Saves Deer ... Apple TV and iPhone ... More Cake 2 ... Snow

February 2007

Gray, white, black and tan.
Random flecks arranged in rows.
Gray stands out from otherwise dark carpet.

Long day, all day training.
Informative with several entertaining speakers.
But after eight hours I'm ready to sleep.

Also in February... Death Star ... Cingular Experiment ... Yahoo! Answers ... KLOS ... Superbowl Losers

March 2007

One day in 2000, I wanted donut holes. It was one of those weird "project days" -- you know the kind, you're walking around, talking to people, going to meetings. Not a sit - at - your - desk - and - stare - at - your - screen - for - hours kind of day. And I wanted some poppers. So I go to my computer, punch in my location, my credit card and within 45 minutes, there's a call from the front desk that I have an order waiting for me. And yet today, in 2007, this isn't possible.

I'm just saying... Stupid dot com bubble.

Also in March... KMZT ... KZLA ... Stranger than Fiction ... Black Dog ... For Your Consideration ... California DMV ... Twitter ... Music & Lyrics ... 5 Guys in a Limo ... New Phones ... Broken Phone ... Experience Economy ... Promotion ... Throw away Richard Jeni ... Have you met TED? ... Larry Gold – dead ... Andy Barker, PI ... Power Outtage

April 2007

I was recently agreeing that it seemed like March was taking forever. And now I find myself in April already. This weekend was a blur, which was funny because it seemed like it shouldn't have been. It snowed for a few minutes, I spent some time reading and some time trying to veg. I now believe my goal to do nothing is not going to happen any time soon.

Also in April... Caveman’s Crib ... Beauty Pageant for Camels ... Green Celebs ... Home Remedies ... Disney War ... Super Proposal ... Joost ... Google Wishlist

May 2007

Today feels like a good day for a reset. In the recent past, I abandoned more cake2, I dropped off my book list, I pretty much missed 40 Days of Community by not starting my reading on time and I've been consistently behind in my parenting class, always doing the reading the day before or day of. On the plus side, we made our budget for last month. So today, May 1, seems like a great time to press the reset button.

Also in May... Twittervision ... Immigration ... Armed Forces Day ... New to the Interwebs? ... I get RSS ... Projector in Your Pants ... iGoogle

June 2007

It's raining outside. It sounds really cool. It doesn't seem like that's worthy of a full blogger post, but Twitter is down again. Actually, I'm standing in the kitchen on the laptop and using the desktop at the same time. Kinda weird. But I have the window open and there's a really refreshing breeze coming in. I have the lights off, the only light coming from the two computer monitors. Makes you forget all your real troubles for a little while. I guess I might as well just keep writing since I've started now.

Also in June... Jott ... Internet Radio Day of Silence ... Numbr ... MixMastah 800 ... Washington Idea Bank ... Sahara ... Suing eHarmony

July 2007

I know I mentioned this briefly on Twitter and Facebook a few days ago but I never got around to actually detailing what happened. I got called into a conference room for an unscheduled meeting a few weeks ago. We've been in a perpetual state of reorganization for a few weeks now. I thought the dust had settled, but it hadn't. I was now being asked to lead my team as we moved over to a new group. My boss was getting kicked up to a new role. So, I said sure. My boss assured me that he'd take a lot of his meetings with him to the new role and I suspect a lot of the international travel as well, which is fine with me because I'd rather stay home with my family.

Also in July... Delorean ... Harry Potter 7 ... Promotion ... Tacoma Narrows 2 ... Teenage Affluenza ... The Wooden Horse of Troy ... Fiji Water ... Kwik-E-Mart

August 2007

Wow... my posting for August has been pathetic. I've been swamped with work, obsessed with Weewar, completely consumed by Federal Way Graffiti and getting behind in my chores. I guess I've been doing more on Twitter, but I'm still not exactly sure what the point of Twitter is. It still seems really vain. But what I really don't get is Facebook. I have one and everyone at work keeps adding me to theirs, but I still get the point to it.

Also in August... Havidol ... Hot Fuzz ... Buy It Later ... 15 Minutes of Fame

September 2007

It's almost 11. My goal was to be in bed by 11, but I'm not sure I'll make it. I'm laying on the bed, but not sure I'll be in bed. My knees are bent and the keyboard is resting on my stomach and my legs. Outside, thunder and loud, loud rain. I can also hear the murmurings of neighbors outside enjoying the rain. Rachel is also laying on the bed, head on my chest. She has, to some degree, been insufferable tonight. Demanding every few minutes to go to the bathroom. Of course, at this stage for her, every request must be honored. I finally decided this was the only way to get her to quiet down was to let her lie here on the bed next to me. She had made her way to where she was lying all the way across me but now she's rolled off and... nope, she's back again, now laying on my wrists making typing difficult. And she's gone again. At least she's quiet. The rain is just coming down like crazy. With large windows on two sides of this room, the sound is just incredible. And there's that smell... the fresh chilled smell of rain. It's just amazing.

Also in September... Panda Express ... Ticket Issuing Buses ... Dunder Mifflin Online

October 2007

I'm sitting at the edge of the lake. It's been a rough morning. While I waited for my food to microwave, I killed the time by using the blood pressure machine as I do nearly every day. Today was by far the best reading I've had since I started regularly checking it. This was a surprise to me considering the kind of morning I had. It wasn't raining, so I decided I'd bring my food out and eat it by the lake. When I got here, a couple was just leaving and we exchanged hellos. I've seen them before. They left and I stood there looking out over the lake and heard a strange wheezing noise. I thought it was a duck, but as it got closer, I realized it was a dog's head. The dog was swimming as fast as he could but the noise sounded like that of panic. I tried to figure out where the dog even came from. I silently cheered him on... 'You're almost there, buddy!'.

Also in October... Blogger Play ... Balance ... HiDef Last Supper ... California Adventure’s $1B Upgrade ... Carter: Cheney a Disaster ... I’m a Quitter

November 2007

I have absolutely nothing decent this month to look back to and quote. I failed to be introspective, failed to write about what was new in my life.

Also in November... Passing of Evangelical Christianity ... Google Reader ... Writer’s Strike ... #2

December 2007

When you have kids, you're expected to act like an adult. Or at least you feel like you should. But, I'm sorry. It's snowing big, huge fluffy flakes. And I've had Jingle Bells by the Barenaked Ladies on repeat as I jump up and down like a hyperactive child who found a stash of halloween candy. The good thing is that Rachel is happy to jump up and down with me in pure, sheer joy.

Also in December... Shmap ... Singing Cats ... Simplicity ... The Road ... Children of Men

In the past...

• 2006 Look Back
• 2005 Look Back
• Reading List (slowly transitioning to Facebook)

Up Next,,, Part III – The Look Ahead

"Maybe We Can Get On The Waiting List"

Lori actually said that when I told her that DMC might once again be manufacturing cars. I'm recording it here for prosperity. According to this article on Engadget, Delorean might soon be producing as many as 20 cars a year.

Time Machine

If someone wanted to buy this and then travel back in time to, oh, let's say tomorrow 14 years ago -- and give it to me for no reason -- that might be kinda cool. I know it's no Delorean, but it would be a good second choice. (Now if someone wanted to give me a Delorean tomorrow for no reason, I would be your friend forever and ever.)

Great Scott!

Ok, Lori just called me in to see a commercial she described as "sad" and "painful." Shows Marty McFly crossing under the wire as the lightning strikes and the Delorean disappearing, leaving only the fire trails on the ground. Doc Brown turns to the screen and says "Great scott! I forgot to tell Marty to get DirecTV!" The logo appears and he voices "TV from Space!"

Ticked me off for several reasons... one, it was indeed both sad and painful. (Further research shows that Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis gave their approval. That makes it even more sad.)

Second, this was the 1955 Doc Brown realizing he hadn't told the 1985 Marty McFly to get DirecTV. I'm pretty sure that DirecTV didn't exist in either of those time periods. DirecTV was still called USSB until the mid-to-late '90s, wasn't it?

And according to BTTF.com (honestly, I didn't know this existed, perhaps I'm not as much of a geek as I thought), you can expect Shatner and others to reprise their roles to encourage you to get DirecTV. Sigh. More info...

Dear Detroit

Dear Detroit,

The Fit is not in. Yaris is an awful name. The Matrix looked like a high-top sneaker. The Element is ugly and every time I see a Scion, I automatically assume its owner is an idiot.

I don't want an SUV and I can't afford a Lexus, though they're kinda on the plain side. It'll be a few years before I buy a car, but if things don't change, I'm probably gonna be stuck with an Avalon.

I want my gull-wings or pivot doors. I want my Delorean. My Intrepid, while not for everyone, is a great car. It has a little bit of styling but it doesn't scream "Pull me over for speeding." (The base for a car seat in the back seat probably also helped the last time I was pulled over.)

Bottom-line, I'm looking for the superhero-in-disguise car. A little bit calm, a little bit cool.

It doesn't even need to be able to fly...

...but would someone please make a car as cool as the Delorean? Ok, so there are some nice Ferarris and Lamborghinis, but why can't other car manufacturers make some daring and cool cars? I supposed the Crossfire is interesting, but I didn't even care about it until I heard about the design philosophy behind it (every line changes from in to out or out to in), but I'm still lukewarm when I see one. And the Magnum... cool name, dumb car, tiny tiny back window.